Presidio Trust Appoints Executive Director

SAN FRANCISCO-The Presidio Trust Board yesterday appointed environmentalist Craig Middleton to the position of executive director, a role he assumed on an interim basis in December 2001.

Middleton, the first employee of the trust, was selected from a field of 250 candidates following a six-month selection process. He will oversee the trust’s activities, including historic and natural resource protection, real estate and economic development, operations and maintenance, and public programs.

During his decade of service for the trust, Middleton participated in the Presidio’s transformation from major military base to national park. Middleton served as deputy director for Government Affairs, Programs, and Administration four years prior to assuming the role of interim executive director.

Most recently, Middleton helped establish a Presidio management plan to guide the park’s preservation and economic sustainability. “Perhaps more than any other individual, Craig understands the Presidio’s mission,” says Toby Rosenblatt, chairman of the Presidio Trust board of directors.

The Presidio employs 300 people and has an annual budget of $80 million. The Presidio Trust, which began in 1996, is responsible for the development and preservation of 1,168 acres of the park’s historical and natural resources, and fiscal budget.

George Lucas plans to build a new production campus on the Presidio. The 850,000-sf project will cost about $300 million and house 2,500 workers. The trust hopes that this campus will provide about 12% of what it needs each year to be self-sufficient. The project is expected to pay about $5.8 million in annual rent for a 50-year lease.